PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to outline Kids Come First Child Care Services (“Kids Come First” or the “Centre”) expectations and requirements with respect to vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as if there is any other outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic of a serious infectious disease in Ontario and/or Canada in the future.

This Policy is intended to promote the health and safety of the Centre’s children, staff, volunteers, placement students, service providers, and their families by reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other serious infectious diseases at the Centre to the greatest extent possible, in addition to the various other health and safety measures and precautions that the Centre has implemented or will implement from time to time.

The health and well-being of everyone at Kids Come First and the preventing of the spread of COVID-19, is of critical importance to the Centre. The Centre considers the vaccination of individuals who regularly interact with and/or provide services to children to be of crucial importance due to the nature of their work and the elevated risk of transmission of COVID-19 in childcare settings

All employees and other workers are expected to take all reasonable precautions for their own health and safety related policies, procedures and requirements of the centre. This includes but is not limited to the Centre’s Pandemic Response plan and other COVID-19 related policies.

Background

Kids Come First recognizes the importance of immunization of individuals regularly interacting and providing services to children due to the nature of their work and potential for exposure in the community. This policy aims to protect the Centre’s children, staff, volunteers, students on educational placements and any person providing child care or other services to a child in care. During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, vaccination is incredibly important for protecting the health and safety of the children given that they are not currently eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 themselves.

COVID-19 is an acute respiratory illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It may be characterized by fever, cough, shortness of breath, and several other symptoms. Asymptomatic infection is also possible. The risk of severe disease increases with age but is not limited to the elderly and is elevated in those with underlying medical conditions.

Application

Effective September 7, 2021, this Policy applies to all employees, placement students, volunteers, and service providers of the Centre. The Centre reserves the right to amend, replace, and/or modify this Policy from time to time, in its sole discretion. All Kids Come First employees, placement students, and volunteers (are required to abide by the requirements, terms, and conditions set out in this Policy, as applicable, and as amended, modified, or replaced from time to time.

This policy must be reviewed by all employees, volunteers, and placement students once it is approved by the Board of Directors, at the start of these individuals’ employment, volunteering, or placement at the Centre, and annually afterwards, as applicable.

POLICY

If there is an outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic of a serious infectious disease in Ontario and/or Canada (“Identified Contagion”), including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are one or more vaccines available for the Identified Contagion which have been approved by Health Canada (“Vaccines”), Kids Come First strongly encourages all employees, placement students, and volunteers to be vaccinated against the Identified Contagion. However, this requirement does not apply to those who are unable to be vaccinated for reasons related to protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation (the “Code”).

The Centre considers Vaccines to be a very safe and effective way to protect the Centre’s staff, children, and families in the event of an outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic of an Identified Contagion. Accordingly, all placement students, volunteers, and new employees who begin their employment with the Centre after September 7, 2021 will be required to provide proof that they have been fully vaccinated with one or more Vaccines against any Identified Contagion, or reasonable evidence that they are unable to be vaccinated with such Vaccines for reasons related to protected grounds under the Code. The Centre shall determine what constitutes reasonable evidence for these purposes, in its sole discretion.

Employees whose employment began prior to September 7, 2021, who have been continuously employed by the Centre since that time, will not be required to receive such Vaccines as a term for continued employment, unless required by applicable legislation, regulations, guidelines, and/or public health guidance.

Further, during an outbreak, epidemic, or pandemic, all employees, placement students, and volunteers are required to disclose to the Executive Director or their designate whether they have been fully vaccinated against the Identified Contagion, and if they are vaccinated, they must provide proof of vaccination to the Executive Director or their designate. The type of proof required will be determined by the Executive Director or their designate from time to time, in their discretion.